The HydroSoilWise project aims to improve water infiltration and retention in the soil and reduce erosion. The project partners are working on around different approaches. ASTREDHOR is focusing in particular on two approaches: straw mulching and RCW (ramial chipped wood).
Alain Ferre, director of the ASTREDHOR Loire-Bretagne station in Angers, presented the effects of these solutions in open-field nurseries at SIVAL 2026 (the international trade fair for plant production techniques).
In summary, the results show that these approaches hold promise for reducing reliance on fertilisers and herbicides. The massive carbon input they provide promotes soil life (earthworms, fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria that bind atmospheric nitrogen in the soil). Their activities improve the soil’s chemical fertility (nitrogen fixation), structure and aeration, and consequently, water infiltration and plant root development. Furthermore, straw mulching has a physical effect, significantly reducing soil temperature: water evaporation is reduced and soil life is preserved.
Trials on Acer pseudoplatanus, Prunus, Quercus, Photinia, Pittosporum and Viburnum have yielded positive results (improved growth, trunk diameters, plant height, better establishment after planting, and reduced plant loss).
However, cultivation techniques need to be further refined to ensure reliable results in commercial settings.